With the advent of various versions of Digital Subscriber Line (xDSL) technology, service providers are now able to provide broadband services to residences and commercial establishments over twisted pair lines. Broadband services can include Internet service, telephony, and interactive Television (iTV). In the case of iTV or IPTV services, the service provider typically provides access to media stored on a backend server as provided by a distribution source. The media may be captured live video that is reproduced and subsequently distributed on the iTV or IPTV network.
Video encoding or compression is a mathematically intensive process that uses a variety of techniques to take an original source video and create a representation that is then decoded. The quality of the video presented on a media presentation device such as a television is typically assessed according to how closely the decompressed video matches the original source video. The extent of the similarity of the reproduction is generally a driving force of current approaches to video compression.
When an unrecoverable packet loss occurs in the transmission of a compressed video file, a defect is rendered. Defects are highly noticeable and can degrade the consumers experience. To mitigate defects, a variety of “concealment” techniques can be used in video decoders. These techniques currently include frame duplication, blurring, and averaging nearby pixel attributes over the missing visual portion of the rendered video, which can help conceal or reduce the impact of missing data packets on the perceived quality of the decoded stream.